Minute Maid can keep labeling one of its beverages "Pomegranate Blueberry" even though it's made up almost entirely of apple and grape juices and contains only 0.3 percent pomegranate juice and 0.2 percent blueberry juice.

That was the verdict Thursday from a federal appeals court in San Francisco in a suit by Pom Wonderful, which sells pomegranate juices and accused its Coca-Cola-owned rival of false labeling and advertising.

Federal law leaves such decisions up to the Food and Drug Administration, said the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Although the FDA hasn't ruled on the Minute Maid label, the court said, its regulations allow juice makers to name their product after a "flavoring" juice that is not the primary ingredient.

"As best we can tell, FDA regulations authorize the name (Minute Maid) has chosen," said Judge Diarmuid O'Scannlain in the 3-0 ruling.

"For a court to act when the FDA has not - despite regulating extensively in this area - would risk undercutting the FDA's expert judgments and authority."

The juice product, introduced in September 2007, bears a label with the slogan "Help Nourish Your Brain" above a drawing of fruits. Below the drawing are the words "Pomegranate Blueberry" in large letters, followed by "Flavored Blend of 5 Juices" in smaller letters.

The ingredients are 99.4 percent apple and grape juices, which are cheaper than pomegranate and blueberry juices, the court said.

Pom Wonderful filed its suit in 2008, claiming violations of both federal and state laws. The court told a federal judge in Los Angeles to reconsider the state-law claims, but Coca-Cola said the ruling dismissed the heart of the lawsuit.

"We are confident that the (judge) will dismiss what little is left of Pom's baseless claims," Coca-Cola said.